The travel system and methods are intended to be used throughout the travel industry, including by passengers, providers of travel services and transportation means, financial institutions and transaction processors offering electronic payment means and clearing of those payments, and by service providers of other travel-related services. To facilitate the intended use, a portable passenger card will be utilized. The card will be compiled and issued as a multi-application means for storage and processing of data and information, decision logic support and communications purposes, and identification and authentication schemes; as well as for hosting a traveler""s pass, payment purse and a plurality of application-specific traveling services.
The system deploys a plurality of functional components and a set of computer programs to implement its operational tasks, including the communications of data and the usage of the passenger card between and among the above system user.
The functional components encompass, for example, PCs or other computing platforms, POS-terminals and PIN-tablets, ATM-machines, card read/write devices, biometrics boxes and other computer peripherals, and the passenger card per se. These components are connected via a multi-directional communications link to allow the exchange of data/information between and among the systems entities including the cardholder. The system components are off-the-shelf hardware devices that can be purchased from retailers/computer stores, procured from component manufacturers or its distributors, or acquired from providers of networking/communications services. The communication links can be implemented via the Internet or any other commercial available, wire-based or wireless network technology.
The computer programs perform the house-keeping assignments, computing and decisioning functions, application-specific routines, and the communications/networking tasks necessary for the system""s operations and card usage. These programs further include security means, such as cryptographic schemes, digital signatures and authenticity codes, to protect the system, cardholders and card contents against fraudulent use. The software programs reside within the system""s components including the electronic passenger card. In this way, a cardholder/system user can instruct the system to select and execute a plurality of computerized means or operational functions under the auspices of the software programs and the guidance of command buttons, template files and pull-up/pop-down menus embedded into the system or stored in the card.
The system further comprises a database scheme for storing a set of data and information in a distributed manner among a plurality of database components associated with the plurality of system users, including the passenger card. The database scheme comprises means for automatically interchanging a selected number of data elements, from among said set of data/information, between and among all database components via the communication link whenever such data elements are inputted including modified by a particular system entity. In this way, the network of system database components, including the passenger card per se, acts and behaves as a single integrated database that always contains and automatically deliversxe2x80x94anytime, anywherexe2x80x94the most up to date set of those data and information.
Based upon the features and objectives of the travel system and methods, advantages of this invention include reduced administrative costs, improved productivity, better quality of service, and higher revenues associated with the issuance, usage, and processing of the computerized cards as compared to the deployment of paper/plastic-based traveling documents and of conventional payment methods.
The lower administrative costs are the result of less personnel needed for the automated issuance and maintenance of computerized passenger cards as compared to controlling and following-up on paper-based documents or printed media; of less resources and telecommunications costs required to collect and clear electronic payments as compared to cash, checks or plastic-based payments; and of reduced fraud facilitated via the card-based security features. For instance, the detection of and prevention against fraudulent use of unauthorized travel means will be automated, and the steps of verifying passengers and use rights will be consolidated.
The increased productivity is the result of substituting time consuming, labor intensive and error-prone manual operations, which are associated with traditional document processing platforms or with conventional payment environments, by the system""s computerized means; as well as of streamlining repetitive tasks via electronic templates and automated communications exchange. For instance, several tasks previously performed by human operators for renewal purposes, can be eliminated due to the storage of reusable traveler""s permits and reconfigurable utilization rights in the card. In addition, the passenger card will also eliminate data redundancy while reinforcing standards of practice, purging unnecessary operations, and automating repeating tasks.
The improved quality of servicexe2x80x94when using the computerized cardxe2x80x94is the result of achieving faster boarding or improved throughput at the point-of-service location, more service or product selections to choose from, up-to-date information available for micromarketing and inventory or money management purposes, and services renderable from remote locations. In addition, there is the convenience of using the same passenger card for transportation, identification, card-based payment means, and for other travel-related applications and services. This convenience factor will translate into an enhanced goodwill for the card issuer and acceptors as well.
Higher revenues will be achieved by allowing the passenger to earn frequent attendance and shopper points, which will lead to more loyal passengers and increased spending habits. The card can also generate incremental sales revenues by renting out card-space to corporate sponsors, such as for promotional programs or co-branding schemes. In addition, incremental sales revenues can also be generated via float income due to unused monetary value left in the passenger card or due to traveling services paid for but not claimed yet.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a travel system and methods which utilize computerized cards for the automated use of a traveler""s permit and of other travel-related documents, purchase of goods and services, and the rendering of other traveling services.
It is further an objective of the invention to provide a portable passenger card to store, process and communicate cardholder data, travel-related information, and electronic payment means.
It is further an objective of the invention to provide for a method of compiling the card data elements, which are also stored and maintained throughout a plurality of remote database components, and of issuing the card to a legitimate cardholder, which is entitled to use the card for a predefined purpose.
It is further an objective of the invention to provide for a method of altering including updating cardhodler data and travel-related information previously stored in the passenger card.
It is further an objective of the invention to provide for a method of admitting the cardholder for a particular transportation carrier or other traveling service based on a traveler""s permit stored in the passenger card, and of verifying that the card data is authentic.
It is further an objective of the invention to provide for a method of using the passenger card for the purchase of goods and services offered by the plurality of service providers, and of determining if the card-based payment means is valid.
It is further an objective of the invention to provide for a method of implementing a plurality of applications via the corresponding application codes stored in the passenger cards; the codes define and protect the attributes and quantity of a particular application service to be implemented via the passenger card.
It is further an objective of the invention to provide for a method of coupling the passenger card to a remote database, and for downloading into the card a set of data and information or for communicating to the database selected card data or cardholder information.
The invention further includes a method for using a cryptographic scheme to authenticate the cardholder or system information and to guarantee a secure information exchange.